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Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
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Author : E. Kasayev
Candidate of Science (Economics)
MUCH HAS BEEN SAID and written about the
"shale gas fever" that hit the United States and will
spread to other regions to negatively affect supplies
of natural gas by long-established exporters.
There are many reports from the United States that
it has seriously cut gas imports and has plans to step
up production and soon begin to export low-cost
gas, and that the United States is already ahead of
Russia as the world's biggest gas producer.
Simultaneously, many expert forecast that a bit later Europeans and Asians will follow in
the U.S. footsteps and will substitute a certain proportion of imported gas with their own
gas extracted from shale wells.
It's worth mentioning that fracking for gas is banned in more than 30 countries. More than
75 towns in New York banned this technique in 2008. While the environmental lobby, ac-
cording to many reports, will not be able to put great pressure on hydraulic fracturing in
the U.S. this pressure is a serious threat to gas production rates and, by extension, to some
of the planned export projects.
YET ANOTHER OBSTACLE lies in some major companies' reporting a drop in prof-
itability of shale development. Some reports speak of selling off shares in shale gas fields.
There were even some bankruptcies.
Shale ambitions have by now brought to giant companies serious losses.
Yet another reason for major players' abandoning shale business in one area and eagerly
beginning to explore other areas is that the wells deplete rapidly.
As things stand now, European countries are unlikely to speed up the development of
their shale fields, due mainly to their small territories and uncertain shale reserves.
There should, therefore, be continuous access to large amounts of water and silica sand,
which can be a problem in some areas of potential production.
EU member countries are waging heated debates on the future of shale industry. France
has banned shale gas development citing the environmental harm from hydraulic fracturing.
Germany has imposed moratorium on shale gas mining, while the European parliament
is imposing tougher rules on shale gas production.
Besides, shale projects in Europe are less economically viable than in the United States
International Gas Rivalry: Risks for U.S. Shale Gas, Qatari LNG
and Regional Markets